"This is the Blood Demon Grotto-heaven," Yang Kai said without preamble. "Will you come with me, or will you strike out on your own?"
Lang Qingshan and the others exchanged glances and answered in unison: "We wish to explore this secret realm, sir. We humbly ask for your approval."
This had been their plan all along—otherwise Yang Kai wouldn't have been tossing everyone into the Blood Demon Grotto-heaven's entrance one by one earlier. Having made up their minds, they weren't about to change them now.
Yang Kai nodded. "Very well then. Be careful about everything."
The group roared their assent, each one rubbing their fists and eager to make their mark inside the Blood Demon Grotto-heaven.
Yang Kai turned to look at Guo Miao. "And you?"
Guo Miao glanced at Lang Qingshan, her cheeks flushing faintly. In a quiet voice she said, "I'd like to go with Brother Qingshan."
Yang Kai blinked in surprise, looked from one to the other, and understood immediately. He nodded. "Qingshan."
"Sir!" Lang Qingshan stepped forward.
Yang Kai regarded him with an easy smile. "Guo Miao wants to go with you. What do you think?"
Lang Qingshan looked rather embarrassed. He shot a glance at Guo Miao, then cupped his fists and said solemnly, "I will ensure Junior Sister Guo's safety. You have my word, sir."
Yang Kai clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm not especially worried, but you'd better not let anything happen to her. Otherwise, once we're out of the Blood Demon Grotto-heaven, you'll have some explaining to do to Commander Guo."
Lang Qingshan nodded with a serious expression.
Yang Kai surveyed the group once more and declared in a clear voice: "You all have great ambitions, and I'm pleased. I won't hold you back. I wish you smooth roads and the turning of fortune from ill to good!"
He then took out the jade slip the proprietress had given him earlier, inscribed it with his divine sense, and distributed a copy to each person. Only after that did he wave them off to go their separate ways.
A short while later, Yang Kai stood alone where they had been. He held the jade slip in hand, comparing the incomplete map within to try to determine his current position.
Unfortunately, they had only just entered the Blood Demon Grotto-heaven, and there was far too little information to work with. After studying the map for a long while, he still had no idea where exactly he was.
He could only put the jade slip away and wait until he'd explored more, gaining points of comparison before making any decisions.
Yang Kai picked a direction at random and dashed forward at full speed.
Along the way, he tested his limits and found that this cursed place only allowed him to hover a few zhang above the ground. Any higher, and he simply couldn't rise further. There had to be a flight-restriction array inside the Blood Demon Grotto-heaven, which was consistent with his first impression upon arrival.
The Blood Demon Grotto-heaven truly lived up to its reputation as a Small Universe left behind by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivator after death. It was virtually indistinguishable from a genuine Universe. The heavenly and earthly laws here were immaculately complete, the world's power vast and abundant, spiritual energy flourishing everywhere—it was practically a colossal cultivation paradise.
According to Old Bai, every time the Blood Demon Grotto-heaven opened, at least several tens of thousands of people could enter. That was no small number. As Yang Kai advanced, he occasionally encountered other people, most of them traveling alone like himself, warily scanning their surroundings. The moment they sensed a stranger's presence, they kept their distance to avoid any confrontation.
The entrance points to the Blood Demon Grotto-heaven were spread far and wide, which meant the entrants were not concentrated in one area but scattered across every corner of the realm.
It had to be said, the Blood Demon Grotto-heaven was nothing short of paradise for demon beasts. All manner of demon beasts were found here in inexhaustible variety. Yang Kai had been charging ahead for half a day and had run into relatively few fellow cultivators, but demon beasts he had seen plenty of.
Along the way, he also came across many traces of battle left behind, as well as a number of demon beast corpses. In every case, the inner cores had already been removed.
Not a single cultivator's corpse was to be found, but that didn't mean no one had died. It simply meant that even if someone perished, their body had been devoured by demon beasts.
Yang Kai's strength had long since surpassed the Emperor Realm. After all, he had already killed several low-ranking Open Heaven Realm cultivators—ordinary demon beasts were no match for him at all. Any below Fourth-Order could be cut down in a single exchange. He hadn't yet encountered a Fifth-Order demon beast and wondered what level of strength that would entail.
Besides the beasts, this place also harbored no small number of spirit flowers and unusual herbs. Whether they grew naturally within the Blood Demon Grotto-heaven or had been cultivated by the Blood Demon Divine Monarch during his lifetime, Yang Kai couldn't tell.
He selectively gathered some of the more valuable ones, not wasting time on those of little worth. Only plants with real use were worth picking.
Half a day of surveying had given him a reasonable understanding of his current position. Comparing it against the map recorded in the jade slip, Yang Kai adjusted his course slightly and headed deeper into the Blood Demon Grotto-heaven.
If his bearing was correct, there should be a swampy area up ahead.
An hour later, a vast stretch of marshland appeared before him, extending beyond the edge of sight. This further confirmed that he was heading in the right direction.
Hovering three zhang above the ground, Yang Kai shot forward over the swamp.
At a certain moment, he suddenly halted, frowning as he gazed ahead.
Less than a zhang in front of him, a peculiar spatial fluctuation rippled through the void. Had Yang Kai not been well-versed in the Laws of Space, he might never have detected it.
A spatial rift!
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. There was a spatial rift hanging in the air above this very swamp. Upon careful inspection, he found it was quite long—roughly a dozen zhang or so—stretching across the void, invisible and intangible.